Leila Djansi, a Ghanaian movie producer based in the United States, has told a story about actor turned politician John Dumelo being almost stabbed on a movie set due to incompetence.
According to her, when filming a movie, the production manager passed on a real knife to be used to stab John Dumelo, which was discovered early otherwise the actor would have been stabbed.
She wrote: "Should I tell about the production designer who handed an actor an actual knife for a stabbing scene? My god. If not for supernatural intervention, Vanessa Williams would have stabbed John Dumelo with a genuine knife that day.
"How is this not a joke?" While working in Ghana, Djansi recalled a number of additional disturbing experiences. "Imagine an AD telling you he's going to sleep for a few minutes in the middle of a shoot.
Try a crew requesting that you stop filming, bring a TV so they can watch football, and then return to the set after the game.
"Look into what Cary Fukunaga has stated about working in Ghana. "Try telling an actor that you don't have an outfit for them because their role isn't big enough," she said.
She contrasted these instances with her international experiences, where she saw a high level of professionalism and meticulousness.
"Compare that to my production in the Dominican Republic, where the props guy showed me eight different watches, all properly arranged, and asked me to choose JUST ONE for the scene." Eight alternatives. Djansi wrote: "I cried tears of joy."
To go forward in the profession, the director recommended participants to "stop defending mediocrity" and instead welcome constructive criticism.
